The Minnesota Timberwolves have a battle on their hands to earn a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, but they suffered a tremendous blow when the news broke that shooting guard Kevin Martin had suffered a broken thumb.

According to Mark Remme of Timberwolves.com, Martin suffered a non-displaced fracture of a bone in his left thumb and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Martin broke his thumb in the final minutes of a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, and his absence is very disheartening for head coach Rick Adelman and his players.

Can the T'Wolves make the playoffs without Martin?

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Can the T'Wolves make the playoffs without Martin?

Yes

16.6%

No

83.4%

Total votes: 1,058

Minnesota entered the season as a trendy pick to make the playoffs, but it has cooled off considerably after a hot start to the 2013-14 campaign.

None of that uninspiring play has been Martin's fault, however, as he is is 22nd in the league in scoring with an average of 19 points per game. He is the Timberwolves' second-leading scorer, but his value is the great floor spacing he provides.

Martin is Minnesota's best three-point shooter, and neither of his possible replacements in the starting lineup (Chase Budinger, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute or Alexey Shved) are shooting over 34 percent from downtown, which pales in comparison to Martin's 40 percent stroke from beyond the arc.

The Wolves are currently five-and-a-half games behind the eighth seed, and that climb up the standings will be much more challenging without Martin in the fold.